CON_FUSION Art Exhibition by CE Kraemer and Pat O'Connor

Pat O’Connor grew up in rural Ireland and in the 50’s and 60’s art was not encouraged at school nor evident in general.    He studied technical and mechanical drawing in second level and gained ideas about perspective and scale. In his mid-twenties he studied industrial design and enjoyed the experimental and free flowing parts but was not interested in the work of designing products.

Claus-Eckhard Kraemer trained as a journalist/photographer and studied at Trier University, Germany. He was Editor/editor-in-chief of multiple news outlets. He pursued a career in International PR working as FIA Media Delegate in Formula One.

Pat studied fine arts on Sherkin Island for 2 years in his late forties but didn’t give proper time and attention to developing his own style and direction until he retired. He had sculpted with wood periodically throughout the years but turned to working with stone much later in life.

CEK took up painting around 2000 and later moved on to his unique style of Art having the first exhibitions of his new art form in 2025.

Pat’s relationship with the sea and how to represent it comes naturally to him, from his early experience as a fisherman, and many of his paintings are seascapes. His stone sculptures are mostly figurative representing facial features and moods which may reflect the fact that he spent much of my later life working as a psychotherapist, having trained in Cork in his thirties.

He has had sole and group exhibitions at KAVA in Kinvara, County Galway, solo exhibitions in St. John’s Theatre in Listowel, County Kerry, in Buoys and Gulls in Bundoran and in Mountshannon during the arts Festival 2024. He took part in group exhibitions in the Community Centre on Sherkin Island and at the Courthouse in Oughterard. He continues to develop and change his practice and very much enjoys the challenges as “Mature”.

CEK has had solo shows in Germany, Albania and Ireland. Several of his works are part of private and corporate collections across the U.S., Germany, Ireland, the Czech Republic, the U.K., Spain and Italy.   He is a member of VAI (Visual Artists Ireland and KAVA (Kinvara Visual Artists). He serves on the Mountshannon Arts Committee.

Featured Image:  Sculpture by Pat O'Connor